The Wesleys and Their Times

About Charles Wesley-Some
have described Charles Wesley as the "first Methodist." They point out
that he was the one who first brought together a group of like-minded
Christians to the "Holy Club" at Oxford.

Account of the Life of John Wesley-John
Wesley was born on the seventeenth of June, 1703, in Epworth rectory,
England, the fifteenth of nineteen children of Samuel and Susanna
Wesley.

Advice to a People Called Methodist-By
John Wesley: By Methodists I mean, a people who profess to pursue (in
whatsoever measure they have attained) holiness of heart and life,
inward and outward conformity in all things to the revealed will of God.

Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists-John
Wesley's Collection of Hymns for the People called Methodists, from the
text of the final hymnbook of that name published in 1876. The first
539 of these hymns are substantially in the form published by John
Wesley in 1780.

Epitaph for Susanna Wesley -After
Susanna Wesley died on July 23, 1742, she was buried at Bunhill Fields.
John Wesley conducted the services. Charles Wesley wrote the epitaph
for her tombstone. Later a new stone was set up, bearing a different
inscription.

How To Read Scripture-By
John Wesley: Let there be no delay. Whatever you resolve, begin to
execute the first moment you can. So shall you find this word to be
indeed the power of God unto present and eternal salvation.

John Wesley and Religious Bigotry-John
Wesley differentiated between essential beliefs and nonessential
beliefs which he called "opinions." He believed that Christians should
be unified in love but need not have identical beliefs or practice
identical rituals.

John Wesley On Prayer-God's
command to "pray without ceasing" is founded on the necessity we have
of his grace to preserve the life of God in the soul, which can no more
subsist one moment without it, than the body can without air.

Letter to William Wilberforce-The
last letter that John Wesley wrote was to William Wilberforce, a man
who had been converted under Wesley's ministry and who was a member of
Parliament. The letter concerns his opposition to slavery and
encouragement for Wilberforce to take action for change. Parliament
finally outlawed England's participation in the slave trade in 1807.

Links to Other Sites-Links
to materials "about/by the Wesleys," "Tercentennial Celebration
Resources," "John Wesley," "Charles Wesley," and "Contemporaries of John
Wesley."

Plain Account of Christian Perfection-By
John Wesley: I purpose in the following papers is, to give a plain and
distinct account of the steps by which I was led, during a course of
many years, to embrace the doctrine of Christian perfection. This I owe
to the serious part of mankind, those who desire to know all "the truth
as it is in Jesus." And these only are concerned in questions of this
kind.

Primitive Physick-John
Wesley (1703-1791) was not only the founder of Methodism but also wrote
widely in other areas of concern. Wesley realized that medicine in
England was available just to the wealthy. His aim in Primitive Physick
was to bring practical medical advice to workers and others who could
not afford private doctors.

Short History of Methodism-By
John Wesley: In November, 1729, four young gentlemen of Oxford, -- Mr.
John Wesley, Fellow of Lincoln College; Mr. Charles Wesley, Student of
Christ Church; Mr. Morgan, Commoner of Christ Church; and Mr. Kirkham,
of Merton College, -- began to spend some evenings in a week together,
in reading, chiefly, the Greek Testament.

Susanna Wesley, Unauthorized Meetings-by
J. B. Wakeley: While her husband was absent in London in 1711,
attending Convocation, Mrs. Wesley adopted the practice of reading in
her family, and instructing them. One of the servants told his parents
and they wished to come. These told others. . .

The Character of a Methodist-By
John Wesley: The distinguishing marks of a Methodist are not his
opinions of any sort. His assenting to this or that scheme of religion,
his embracing any particular set of notions, his espousing the judgment
of one man or of another, are all quite wide of the point.

Thoughts Upon Slavery-By
John Wesley: By slavery, I mean domestic slavery, or that of a servant
to a master. A late ingenious writer well observes, "The variety of
forms in which slavery appears, makes it almost impossible to convey a
just notion of it, by way of definition. There are, however, certain
properties which have accompanied slavery in most places, whereby it is
easily distinguished from that mild, domestic service which obtains in
our country."

What Is an Arminian?-By
John Wesley: To say, "This man is an Arminian," has the same effect on
many hearers, as to say, "This is a mad dog." It puts them into a fright
at once: They run away from him with all speed and diligence; and will
hardly stop, unless it be to throw a stone at the dreadful and
mischievous animal.

Top Image: John Wesley often ministered to the sick during a life blessed by good
health. Illustration courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on
Archives and History.
Bottom Image: Wesley preaches at Newgate Jail. This drawing was scanned by the
General Board of Global Ministries from: A. H. Hyde, The Story of
Methodism Throughout the World, from the Beginning to the Present Time
(Springfield, MA: Willey & Co., 1889), p. 219.